This invention relates to a new and improved egg product and a process for making same.
The edible portion of whole eggs contains approximately 25% egg solids and 75% water, 12% protein and 11% fat. When the term whole eggs is used, this is the product meant. The contents of the shell egg are partitioned between egg white and egg yolk. Egg yolk makes up about 39% of the freshly cracked egg and contains approximately 45% solids, 14% protein and 30% fat. The yolk contains about 2% cholesterol. When the term egg yolk is used, this is the product meant. The liquid egg white makes up about 61% of the whole egg and contains approximately 12% solids, 10% protein and only a trace of fat. There is no cholestrol in egg whites. When the term egg whites is used, this is the product meant. When the terms egg white solids and egg yolk solids are used, we mean the actual solids on a dry basis. The relative amounts of egg white to egg yolk vary in eggs from different flocks, but the composition of egg white and egg yolk is more uniform.
In recent years it has been shown that in man there is a relationship between dietary cholesterol and circulatory disorders such as atheroschlerosis. It is also well known that there is a direct relationship between obesity and health. It is well recognized that eggs form an important part of the diet with over 70 billion eggs a year being consumed for table use. The quality of the protein of eggs is one of the highest in any natural food product, having a biological value of 100. It would be important in the treatment of patients with circulatory disorders and people who are over-weight to be able to include a liberal amount of egg or egg products in their daily diet as a source of high quality protein, but to provide this protein without accompanying it with the fat and cholesterol contained in shell eggs or frozen whole eggs or in other products containing a significant percentage of whole eggs or egg yolks.